


Maybe This Time

by iksong_99



Category: Hospital Playlist
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:48:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27631609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iksong_99/pseuds/iksong_99
Summary: An alternate to how everyone got together in episode 1.Song Hwa is a neurosurgeon in New York and is in Korea for a conference. She meets up with her college best friends and Lee Ik Jun, the man who may or may not made her pack her bags and move to the other side of the world a few years ago.
Relationships: Chae Song Hwa & Lee Ik Jun (Hospital Playlist), Chae Song Hwa/Lee Ik Jun (Hospital Playlist)
Comments: 26
Kudos: 42





	Maybe This Time

**Author's Note:**

> I was in a rut lately because of school and life taking over my fangirling bubble in the past few months. I also have not logged in to the bird app in such a long time but last I remembered, people were crying over this song, Maybe This Time. To celebrate this new IkSong song and tonight’s special episode that screams IkSong! endgame, I give you this one shot.

It hasn’t been twenty-four hours since Song Hwa landed in Seoul but she has so far managed to be in the same room with almost everyone she haven’t seen in years. Not that she didn’t inform them about her quick visit but it was scheduled to be towards the end of her stay which is three days from now and this is certainly not how she pictured their reunion to be like. But it seemed as if they have reached that age where people only meet either by accident or when someone dies. 

She fixed her hair and propped her elbows on the table with a smug look on her face albeit the sad atmosphere of the hall they are in. Her eyes trained from Jun Hwan, who made it a point to sound hurt about the news they just found out that day to Seokhyung who is silently eating, eyes fixed on his bowl of soup looking all beat up from the former’s incessant litany. 

“Yang Seok Hyung, you knew about it and you never even for once you know, probably dropped a hint that our best friend, my housemate for many years is a chaebol?” 

“Song Hwa-ya, please make him stop.” Seok Hyung is already pleading at this point, desperate for the guy beside him to stop yapping. 

“I can’t, I’m also as curious as Kim Jun Hwan.” Song Hwa said firmly stifling a giggle that’s about to come out. She surely missed this side of her friends, for a second it felt like she’s transported to 1999 when everything was silly including her friends’ petty fights. 

“Did he seriously think we’d mooch off from him once we find out about his family?” Jun Hwan now shifts in his seat and is fiddling with his tie, trying to find the right words to sound polite in the funeral of his dad’s friend, same friend he wanted to strangle so bad. “Yah, I even thought his family’s having a hard time lately. That guy hasn’t paid his rent in months! Months, Chae Song Hwa! Can you imagine that?” 

Song Hwa finally let out the giggle she’s been holding in for the past thirty minutes. Even Yang Seok Hyung dropped his spoon and his shoulders started moving vigorously, a clear sign he’s also laughing even without the noise. 

“That guy’s trust fund is probably even bigger than what I can earn my entire life given I’ll live until I’m 50— 

“I’m giving you three months tops, that new girlfriend of yours will send you directly to the morgue one of these days because of her driving skills.” Ahn Jeong Won cut him off with that remark of his, far too different from the Jeong Won who filled the hall with his cries earlier. He takes the seat next to Song Hwa and silence ensued thereafter. 

“I’m sorry for keeping it from you guys, I don’t know what held me from telling you about this after all those years.” Jeong Won smiled, a genuine one. Now this is the Jeong Won they all knew, chaebol or not he’ll always have that genuine smile on his face. 

“Ahn Jeong Won, it’s really nothing. It’s not like we don’t have things we just can’t tell others about regardless of how simple they are.” Song Hwa assures his friend with a light tap on his arm, careful not to push any button that will make Jeong Won cry again. 

“Song Hwa is right, Jeong Wonie. Each of us have things we find hard to say out loud. Right Kim Jun Wan?” as if on cue, they turned their heads right at the same towards where the voice is coming. 

“Lee Ik Jun, I don’t even know what you’re talking about!” Jun Hwan chuckled nervously while looking at his friends, in a futile attempt to deny whatever on earth Ik Jun is talking about. 

Upon seeing Ik Jun, Jeong Won as if by reflex scootched to the other side of the table giving the former a space next to Song Hwa where he settles not knowing what to say to the friend he haven’t seen in years. 

“How long has it been?” Jeong Won breaks the ice, giving Song Hwa a quick smile. 

“Four years…” Song Hwa answered, her voice trailed for a while. “I left around 2016, a little after Seok Hyung’s wedding.” 

“Has it been that long?” Ik Jun added, eyes meeting Song Hwa for the first time that night. She nodded and for a split second he swore she looked directly at him with those eyes of her and just like before, he still couldn’t read them. 

The night ended rather quickly for them with Song Hwa leaving first to prepare for her talk the next day and to get some rest even for just a short while. 

“I’m actually leaving for Changwon tonight. I can drop you at your hotel, Chae Song Hwa. It’s hard to book a ride at this hour.” Ik Jun offered right before Song Hwa could even say she already booked her ride to the hotel even before he came. It’s actually just a 20 minute ride but she’s pretty sure it’s going to be a long one given that she’s going to be with Lee Ik Jun. She accepts the offer nonetheless and finds herself in his car a few minutes later. 

Despite trying her best not to pry into his car, she couldn’t help but notice a lot of things. How he’s still using the same car he got a few years back but he’s using a different car freshener now to which she unconsciously scrunches her nose to. 

“I’m sorry, don’t you like this scent? Ik Sun said it’s hypoallergenic. I---” 

“Ya, Lee Ik Jun it’s fine. It’s just a habit, I guess?” She cuts him off, appalled and not ready with the information she just received. 

Why would he keep doing this even after all those years? He doesn’t need to keep using scents she only like, she’s--- they’re not together anymore. 

The drive to her hotel ended right before she could even do something stupid again, thankfully. As she was about to unclasp her seatbelt, Ik Jun called her name in that tone of his she really couldn’t resist and so she turned her head just like she had always did and she regret it right away because all she can see is his betrayal, not the man she used to be in love with anymore. Gone was the guy she was willing to sacrifice a friendship for; whom she dated in secret and hid even from her own mother. 

“Can we talk before you leave again for New York?” Ik Jun pleaded, willing to throw away all inhibitions if this is what it takes to finally talk to her again. A part of him is telling him to do this but the more sensible part of him is telling him to just let the universe take its own course---wherever the tides may take them. 

The woman in front of him heaved a sigh. A heavy one, even. 

Her eyes trailed on the road outside, then to the entrance of the hotel, and finally to her hands, holding the seatbelt rather too tightly. She eventually unclasps it and reached for the door to step out of the car and maybe out of his life forever. But she halted, much to his surprise. 

It shocked her too, amazed at the amount of courage she has for doing this. “Sure, I will inform your secretary about it maybe tomorrow.”  
It might have been a little over thirty minutes since she arrived in her hotel room but Song Hwa felt as if time stood still and she found herself staring at the ceiling, her head feels heavy but she couldn’t even figure out how to name this emotion she’s feeling. 

She was brought back to her senses because of a phone call at this hour which only means one thing. 

She opens her front camera and settles her back against the headboard. Her face lights up upon seeing the other person onscreen who seems to be unaware, still. 

“Eonnie, I’m sorry for calling, he’s been bugging me ever since he woke up ten minutes ago.” That was Chu Min Ha, her cousin whom she shares a flat with in New York. 

“Uju! I thought you said you wanted to talk to Mommy?” Min Ha calls for the boy and Song Hwa couldn’t help but notice the expression on her son’s face upon seeing her. It’s clearly not hers because this boy is every inch his father’s son. The only thing he got from her was her appetite and love for nature. 

“Mommy!” 

Her train of thought was cut abruptly as her son started talking in his mixed Korean and English sentences, telling her about the weather and the things that happened the other day as if she wasn’t there with him yesterday.

Lee Ik Jun, maybe we really need to talk. Was all she could say to herself.


End file.
